Slag is a by-product formed in smelting, and other metallurgical and combustion processes. Slag is formed from impurities in metals or ores being treated by processes such as desulphurization, and it consists mostly of mixed oxides and sulfides of elements such as silicon, aluminum, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and the like. During smelting or refining, slag floats on the surface of the molten metal. This slag must then be removed from the surface of the molten metal. One way to remove the slag is to skim it from the surface of the molten metal using a skimmer apparatus. However, many skimmers do not have a wide range of motion or many degrees of freedom of movement.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved method and apparatus to remove the slag from molten metal before the purified metal product is further processed or used.